Brilliant and Bright, Then Gone
by DontBelieveInAngels
Summary: Mikoto's thoughts and memories before it ends. *Spoiler Alert* I've used many different K stories for this. The only ones that are completely original are when Mikoto meets Kusanagi and Totsuka. The others are all based off of actual stories and comments made in the vast amounts of K media/books.


**A/N: (A really long one at that. Sorry.)To me, Suoh Mikoto is a tragic character. It's like Shiro (Weismann) said, "I feel each of the Kings is walking a solitary path". So in their own way, each of the Kings is rather pitiful, but Mikoto is even more so due to his nature as King as well as his mind set. His nature as King, fire, is violent and harder to contain compared to the rest of the King's. I mean the fact that it's pretty much the fate of the Red King to lose control of their power or step down before they do is enough said. And Mikoto is trying his hardest to contain this massive power, while deep down all he wants to do is unleash it. He wants to let his power go and let it rage and ravage, even knowing that it will kill him in the process. It's like going out in a glory of flames and power. But the only thing that stops him is his loved ones, Homra. And so he holds himself back due to the fact that he doesn't want to harm any of his comrades and he wants to stay by their side and enjoy life with them. However, when Totsuka dies, the one who always seemed to bring him back from the brink and help motivate him when he just felt like giving up, he loses that safety switch he had. He becomes angrier and angrier with no one to help bring him back. Soon, all his self-doubts and nightmares and destructive thoughts become too much and his Weismann level starts to rise to dangerous highs. Knowing this and wanting to avenge Totsuka without killing the ones he still has left, he finds his solution to containing his power, getting locked up by Munakata. I see his death as sort of bitter sweet. He was without a doubt my favorite character, that's why I was devastated when he died, and initially really wanted him to come back in the next season, though I wanted a good explanation and justification as to how he came back. But the more I thought of it, the more I realized how cruel it would be to his character to bring him back. He wanted to die. Obviously, his last words proving this point at least to me, he regrets having to leave his clansmen behind, but he wanted it to end. You can tell by the fact that not only did he avoid anything that could have saved him, like renouncing his throne which admittedly would have left him not being able to avenge Totsuka but still, and then his peaceful smile to Munakata right before Munakata ran him through with his sword. Now the point of this rambling was kind of to explain this piece I've wrote. Well this piece kind of explains the feelings I feel that Mikoto was feeling as he died. I probably don't put it all as eloquently as I would like, but whatever. **

**Disclaimer: Almost all Scenarios and dialogue do not belong to me. I just added in the thoughts in between, though a few are original or mostly original. **

Mikoto spread his arms wide as he looked up towards his Sword of Damocles. "_It was time."_ He had known that this would be how it would end from the beginning, and he had no regrets.

He had killed the Colorless King at last and could go with a sense of peace. "_I'm coming."_ Images of his life began to flash through his mind as his Sword of Damocles began to lose its power and fall down towards Earth. He felt no fear, because he knew Munakata wouldn't let it touch the ground.

_Mikoto casually strolled into a bar he had just come across, still in his school uniform. He was bored and was just wondering around Shizume city when he came across it and decided to get something to drink. _

"_Whatever, it's not like he had to drink alcohol just because he came to a bar," he thought. Behind the counter was a guy that couldn't be much older than him, certainly not of legal age yet. Maybe he wouldn't have to hear crap about his age, then. _

"_Welcome," the guy called as he turned to face Mikoto. Mikoto watched the guy quirk an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you a little young to be in a bar," he began before he paused as he got a glimpse of Mikoto's uniform. _

"_You're even wearing your uniform!" he said in surprise. "Tch." Mikoto grumbled. "I just want some water." The guy paused for a second at that, and then seemed to decide it wasn't worth it. _

_Mikoto plopped down in a seat at the bar waiting as the guy filled a glass with water. "Here you go," the guy smiled, "no charge." Mikoto just gave him a look that clearly stated, "duh, it's water." _

_Mikoto took a drink, ignoring the slight frown on the other's face. Mikoto gave a glance around and finally noticed that no one else was in the bar except for the two of them. Snorting at that he took another drink. _

"_You're an unpleasant guy, aren't you?" the other seemed to conclude out loud. Mikoto smirked. "Well, for conversations sake, as well as etiquette, I'm Kusanagi Izumo," the guy, Kusanagi, said. _

_Drinking the last bit of his water and getting up to leave, Mikoto said in a disinterested tone, "Suoh Mikoto," and walked out without a glance behind him. _

_He'd rather liked the feel of the bar though. He'd have to come back again. _

_Mikoto calmly stared slightly to the side of the eyes of the Blue King, the Fourth King, Munakata Reisi. "I'm telling you to renounce your throne," Munakata said. _

_It took everything in his power not to laugh in Munakata's face. As if he could do that at such a critical time. "Sometimes you say the funniest things, Munakata, and all with a straight face, but I'll pass," he quipped back. _

_Watching Munakata's calm face as he leaned back up was rather dissatisfying, but he knew it wouldn't be too long until he got one of those usual biting remarks that he had come to expect from his fellow King._

_He could feel the power in him. It was overwhelming. Vast. He could barely contain it. He knew it was leaking out of him, but he just couldn't control it all. _

_It took almost all of his focus to keep from just letting it out and destroying everything in the vicinity. It took all his control to keep from giving in to the dark thoughts that just wanted to be unleashed and destroy._

"_Are you awake? I'm entering," came the voice of Totsuka on the other side of the door. He glanced up as Totsuka walked in and he saw him pause, before coming forward, "Hey…" he began, but Mikoto interrupted him. _

"_Don't come closer," he warned, "you'll get hurt. " I can't control myself he wanted to say. I'm not fit for this. I just want to let the power take over. I'm not like the King you think I am. _

_He watched as Totsuka ignored him, and continued until he was kneeling down in front of him. "No," he wanted to say, but couldn't get it out before Totsuka said, "I won't get hurt," as he lifted his fist up to rest in his own out stretched palm that had moved to intercept the soft punch._

_And suddenly, his worries seemed to diminish, and he felt his aura dissipate. "Totsuka," he said in surprise. "It's fine, it's fine. Everything will work out somehow, King. "_

_Mikoto was slightly stunned as he watched Totsuka stand up and say, "Now come on down stairs. You can't keep cooping yourself up in here." _

_Mikoto took a shaky breath. "Yeah," he replied. He had Totsuka and Izumo, so everything would be fine. He just needed to remind himself. _

_He couldn't give into that voice, because he had people precious to him that he wanted to protect. _

_Mikoto sat calmly as he watched Yata's face twist into a look of hatred while telling them all that Fushimi Saruhiko had defected to the Blues._

_Of course, Mikoto wasn't too surprised, and by the looks of it, he could tell not too many were. He sighed. It hadn't been hard to tell that Fushimi didn't belong with them. _

_When Izumo voiced that same thought, Yata just looked even more pissed and stormed out. There was a hush in the bar after he had left. "So….what now?" Chitose questioned. _

_Everyone's eyes turned to Mikoto. He sighed. "Fushimi made his choice. It was his decision," he stated. Getting up from the bar, he finished off his drink and started to make his way to leave. _

_He could use a walk. He didn't so much as bat an eyelash when he felt the familiar feel of a small hand grab onto his own. He just kept going, calmly sticking a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it. _

"_Maybe Scepter 4 will be where he belongs," he thinks to himself. _

_Mikoto stared at the card he had just gotten. His face didn't so much as twitch as he placed it in with the rest of his cards, but when he glanced back up he could see a slight smirk on Izumo's lips. _

"_Tch." He grumbled lowly, attracting all eyes of those playing on him. "Eh~ don't tell me you got the Old Maid again, King," came Totsuka's disbelieving voice. Mikoto didn't respond. _

_Really, what was there to say to that? "O-oi! Totsuka-san! This just isn't Mikoto-san's game is all!" came Yata's exclamation._

"_If we play again, I'm sure that Mikoto-san will…" Izumo cut him off, "I'm afraid that Mikoto just isn't very adept at this game Yata-chan. You see every time we play this game, somehow, no matter who starts off with the Old Maid, Mikoto always ends up with it at the end."_

"_Bastard," Mikoto grumbled, "you sound like you're enjoying that explanation too much." "What? Of course not Mikoto~" Izumo replied cheerily._

"_We-well, it's not like this is even that good of a game anyway!" Yata said. "I'm sure anything else Mikoto-san would win hands down!" Mikoto sighed and ignored Fushimi telling Yata to shut up, which consequently led to Yata replying back, violently. _

_The truth was he always got stuck with the Old Maid because, one way or another, it always became public knowledge that he was the one with the damn card, leading everyone to avoid taking cards from him. _

_Feeling someone watching him, he glanced over to see their newest member starring at him. "What?" he asked. "Does Mikoto not like Old Maid?" she asked._

_Glancing around the table they were all sitting at, he noticed Kamamoto trying to calm Yata down while Fushimi continued to rile him up, Totsuka was laughing with Dewa as they watched those three, and Izumo was muttering under his breath about what would happen should his precious bar be damaged in any way. _

_He looked back at Anna and said, "It's not too bad." Anna looked around at the chaos around her, then back at Mikoto and nodded her head, "Un," She agreed. _

"…_Whadda hell?" he wondered aloud. He was currently starring into a mirror. A mirror that reflected his __**red**__ face. _

"_Anna doodled a little on your face, King. Yata and Kamamoto…." Mikoto tuned the rest out not even needing the details. Just that first bit was enough to get the gist of why his face was colored red. _

_The tiny sound of Anna's voice brought him back. "Mikoto, I am sorry." Mikoto wanted to question why she even decided to draw on his face in the first place, but decided that he would never completely understand her strange whims._

_Memories of having to help Fushimi move a vending machine due to Anna being stuck behind it flashed through his head. It was probably best he didn't even try and comprehend it all. _

"_That's how it is. So please forgive her." Totsuka interrupted his thoughts. He touched his face, keeping to his decision of not wanting to know. _

"_I'm not really mad or anything…" an image of him walking around with a red face from now on flashed through his head, "…but you better hope it washes off." "It will, it will, don't worry," came the dismissive reply. _

_Totsuka then proceeded to order Kamamoto to run to the store to get some things to help remove the red from his face._

_Mikoto decided to trust that Totsuka knew what he was doing and watched as Kusanagi loomed over Yata threateningly for using up all of his good alcohol. _

_Mikoto decided he really didn't want to know the details of what had happened to his face._

"_I'm sorry Mikoto… I have bad news." ….. Mikoto felt his grip on the phone tighten to almost the point of breaking the phone. _

"_Where are you?" he asked. It was taking everything in his power to stay in control. "No, don't move from there…" Izumo quickly replied. "…Please don't move. I'll bring Totsuka there." _

_And if Izumo's voice quivered a little when he said that, Mikoto paid it no heed. He just closed his phone, knowing Izumo would take that as an okay. _

_He felt his hand fall down to his side. "Mikoto?" came a small timid voice from the door. He looked up into Anna's eyes, eyes that already knew, but he said it anyway. _

"_Totsuka died." His voice sounded lifeless to his ears, and he felt the crushing loneliness and sadness wash over him, and he couldn't completely contain his aura that was leaking out of him. _

_He suddenly felt small arms wrap around his neck and quickly tried to gain control. "Mikoto." He heard the heart break in that one word. In his name. _

_And he closed his eyes in grief, but he made sure not to slip up and let his aura loose again._

_Mikoto was just sitting on the couch in the bar, with his head thrown back and eyes closed. There was no one but himself, but he couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched. _

_He lazily opened his eyes to look around the bar, but still saw no one. Mikoto closed his eyes once more but frowned as the feeling kept getting more intense, as if the longer he stayed here, the more vehement the one watching became._

_It wasn't enough to unnerve him, but it was steadily getting more and more irritating. Finally deciding he'd had enough, Mikoto opened his eyes. _

_Only when Mikoto opened his eyes, he was no longer sitting in the bar; he was lying down and looking straight into the eyes of a very calm and still Anna. "Good morning Mikoto," she said calmly, as if it weren't strange to just be sitting and watching as a person slept. _

_Looking around slightly disoriented, Mikoto noticed that he was lying in his bed, inside his room. "Morning," he calmly replied. For Anna, it was normal. _

_Mikoto wasn't even slightly fazed by it anymore, though he'd admit, if only to himself, it had been very startling and slightly disturbing the first time he had woken like this._

_Sitting at the bar next to Munakata, he couldn't help but be slightly amused by Munakata's words. "Munakata," he began. "Yes?" _

"_You're not please with me are you?" He noticed the slight smirk on Munakata's face as he replied, "But of course, there's no need to say so. It's nauseating to be sitting next you." _

"_As expected," he thought wryly. "Exactly what you said," he fired back. "It's irritating and pissing me off." "Yes." "'Why is that?" he questioned. "Is it because I'm terrifying." _

_He looked intently into Munakata's face, waiting for his reaction. "It can't be…" Munakata said seriously. "That point is too far off, no?" "I suppose." "I suppose," he repeated in his mind as he took a drink. _

_He held it in his hand as he looked back to Munakata. "Me too." "Eh?" was Munakata's elegant reply. He had to hold back the smirk that wanted to grace his face. "Be please, Munakata," he stated haughtily. _

"_Even though I hate you, I'm not afraid of you," then with a slight twitch of the lips he continued, "I'm one of those rare few people." _

_When the bartender asked what he would have, he calmly responded. He watched as the bartender then asked Munakata. He couldn't help the small smile that came from Munakata's reply. _

"_Let me see…Then, I'll have the same drink." _

_Mikoto ate his food, trying to block out the ruckus Akagi was making. He didn't really see what the big deal was anyway. "King?" Totsuka looked at him for confirmation._

_He glanced over at Kamamoto, then over at Akagi. "Has something changed about him?" He was still Kamamoto, so Mikoto just couldn't understand the big fuss._

"_You didn't even notice?!" Akagi exclaimed. "Eh? But there is quite a change in form," he heard Totsuka say confusedly. "Right, Anna?" "Rikio's red has reduced," she replied while munching on her food._

"_That's your conclusion?!" Akagi's voice was going t break an eardrum if he wasn't careful. Mikoto ignored Akagi's plight though, and went back to eating. _

_He really just couldn't understand the fuss._

_Mikoto tiredly sat down at the bar and asked for a glass of water. Suddenly he noticed a presence next to him. When glanced over, and to his befuddlement, there was a horse, drinking water from a huge bowl placed on the table._

_Just beyond the horse, he could make out Izumo dejectedly sitting with a drink. "Why did a horse end up in here?" he questioned. _

_The only reply he got was gloomy mutters, so he decided to let the issue drop. He heard Totsuka's poor attempts of comforting Izumo, when his attention was grabbed by Anna's voice calling his name. _

_She stood next to him with a sheet of power and shining eyes. "Name it!" She (demanded) asked. Looking over at the horse, it actually looked excited. There was only one name that came to mind. "Basashi." _

_The looks on Anna's face, and his shoulder being repeatedly beat by tiny fists, told him it didn't go over too well. "What a sharp sense," Totsuka said with a clearly uneasy smile. _

_Ignoring more of Izumo's mutters, he thought it best they realize what they had gotten into. "By the way, that horse," Mikoto began, "is not a normal horse." And just as the words were leaving his mouth, the horse changed colors and grew wings. _

"_A pigeon horse" his mind supplied. As he heard the others' exclamations of surprise. He heard the others make comments, but his eyes landed on its shoulder. He felt his stomach growl at the thought of food. _

_He hadn't eaten yet. "King? Do you seriously just look at it as Basashi?" Totsuka asked. He let his mind drift to different foods the horse could be made into, but then decided that since Anna seemed to love it so much, he probably wouldn't get to eat it. _

_He glanced over when he heard Dewa admonishing Fujishima. So that's where it came from. He noticed Dewa glance over at Eric as he continued; "Don't just pick up all sorts of things." _

_Mikoto had to agree, a he saw Eric calmly watch what was going on. Then he glanced over at Basashi. _

_He didn't think this one would work out as well as Eric did. _

_Mikoto opened his eyes. He could hear quiet chuckles coming from somewhere. Glancing over to the other side of his bed, he saw a woman's severed head. Well, a mannequin painted to look like a woman's severed head. _

_He looked at it with disdain, and then decided he already knew what idiot was in the corner snickering away. He rolled back over and decided to get some more sleep. _

_He'd deal with Totsuka later._

_He felt the familiar presence at it came closer and closer. He was a little surprise he had decided to come visit him down here, but decided to wait and see if there was a reason. _

_When the presence was just outside the door, he decided to speak. "Fushimi, huh." The stiff reply amused him a little. "How….do you know…?" Did Fushimi really think he couldn't feel him anymore? _

_In fact, Fushimi's presence was even more noticeable now that he also contained the Blue aura. "Hmph," he snorted slightly. He could practically feel Fushimi's unease resonating from him. "Why'd he even bother coming if he was just going to stand there?" Mikoto wondered._

_He decided to ask something he had been wondering for a while now. "You like it here?" He heard the pause of the other before speaking "I can't say I particularly like it here," came the reply, "…but it's better than when I was there."_

_Mikoto wasn't sure if that should please him or not. It was a very Fushimi thing to say, that was for sure. Was he merely saying it, or did he mean it? _

_And if he meant it, was that still better than him regretting what he had done, or hating it here as much as he had with them? Maybe that was the best Fushimi could hope to achieve._

_His thoughts were interrupted by Fushimi speaking. "Yata…and the others aside, but what about Anna? If, by some chance, you really…" It seemed he couldn't finish it, and Mikoto had no intentions of answering it one way or the other._

_It wouldn't come to that. He was sure of it. That's why he was here, and he knew that as long as he managed to keep Munakata close, though not close enough to interfere, then it should be alright, because Munakata would never let his Sword touch the ground or his power over take him._

"_It would have been so much better if all those 'friends' hadn't gathered around you," came Fushimi's scathing voice. He couldn't agree more. If they hadn't been around him, then none of this would have happened. _

_That's one of the things he liked about Fushimi, he never beat around the bush about anything or with anyone._

"_You're probably the only guy to honestly tell me that," he calmly said. "And that's good, you're fine the way you are, Fushimi." He was tired and just wanted to sleep, while he still could. _

"_Now, don't overstay you're welcome and go back to that 'King' of yours." He hoped that Fushimi stayed with this one. _

_Even if he didn't necessarily like it here, that was better than having nowhere and no one he decided._

_Mikoto finished off the rest of the idiots that had jumped him. He felt his grin, which had been on his face throughout the fight, slide off his face. He was tired now. _

"_Wow!" came a voice at the entrance to the alley way he had been fighting in. Turning, he saw a boy, by his uniform he noticed that he was a middle schooler from the middle school connected to his school, the one he had attended. _

_The boy's eyes were wide and he looked at Mikoto in…."is that awe on his face" Mikoto wondered? "You...you beat them all by yourself." The boy exclaimed. Mikoto frowned at the annoying boy._

"_You're so cool!" Mikoto sighed; he didn't feel like dealing with this. He walked out of the alley and onto the street, making his way back home._

_Annoyingly enough, the boy was following him and rambling on about something to do with royalty or something. He just caught, "You're just like a King! You're so strong and have this way about you! That's it! Since you won't tell me your name anyway, can I call you King? _

_Oh, can I be your vassal!?" The kid had asked his Name? Oh well whatever. He listened as the boy babbled on, calling him King. _

_This kid was a real idiot that was for sure, but at least he was kind of entertaining. _

The sharp pain of a blade piercing his breast brought him back to reality. He felt himself begin to weaken and he leaned forward onto Munakata for support.

Munakata held rock steady, making it easy to hold himself up. Yes, he could die now with no regrets. _Mikoto, don't go. _Those words suddenly ran through his head.

"_Anna,_" he thought. And then Totsuka's words flooded his mind. _I wish that this place and it's warmth will continue to last for eternity. _

"_Ah," he thought solemnly, "I guess I do have one regret." _"I'm sorry Anna…" he felt his vision dimming around him, but he used all of his strength to get those last words out, "but I won't be able to show you that lovely red, anymore." "_I'm sorry for not being able to protect that wish,_" were his last thoughts as he lost consciousness and his body went limp.


End file.
